Belle, are you close enough to get any sense of her?
Not really. There’re too many damn people in the way. She paused. But I caught a brief glimpse of her aura, and it had a really strange glow.
Auras were one of those things Belle normally couldn’t see, and it spoke of just how well this connection of ours was now working. I couldn’t help wondering if the wild magic—or rather, the changes it had made to both me and my magic—had something to do with that.
Define strange.
She hesitated. It’s a weird dark purple-red, and didn’t surround her as such—it looked more like streams of heat trailing after her. It sort of reminded me of a comet and its tail.
Suggesting it isn’t so much her aura but rather something to do with her energy output.
Possibly. Belle hesitated. They just disappeared into the crowd on the dance floor.
I swore and started pushing toward it, but very quickly realized there was a better way. I swung around. “Roger, I need a path cleared.”
He glided past me, a small smile touching his lips. The throng of people standing between the dance floor and us parted as easily as Moses had parted the sea and, in very little time, we were standing at the top of the steps that led down to the lower level.
My gaze swept the ever-moving mass of dancers, but I couldn’t immediately see the blonde or her victim.
“Who are we looking for?” he asked.
“A tall, absolutely gorgeous blonde.” Belle, can you see her?
No. She paused. Oh wait, there she is—in the middle, right underneath Maelle
’s glass lair.
My gaze briefly jumped up to Maelle’s office in the roof to get the right position and, after a moment, I found her. “I think she’s heading for the exit.”
“Point her out,” Roger said. “So that my mistress can stop her.”
“Middle of the dance floor—tall blonde in a red dress.”
He studied the area and his frown deepened. “I cannot see her.”
Confusion swept me. Aside from the fact she was a good six inches taller than everyone currently around her, her hair shone like a beacon in the multicolored lights sweeping the floor. “Seriously? She’s right there.” I pointed. “Just passing that guy in the gold lurex shirt.”
“I see the shirt, but I cannot see the woman.”
“Fuck,” Belle said, as she came to a halt beside me. “She must be using some form of concealment spell.”
“I can’t feel any magic, though, so maybe it’s an innate part of her nature.” I glanced at Roger. “Is it possible to lock down the main doors temporarily?”
He was shaking his head before I’d finished. “The health and safety people are here this evening—shutting the doors will not be viewed favorably unless there’s a very good reason.”
“What about stationing a couple of security guys near the door, and getting them to pull aside any tall blonde that attempts to leave. Tell them they’ve won free drinks next visit or something.”
“A good idea except for one flaw—if I cannot see her, it’s possible that no one else can.”
“Her victim certainly can,” Belle commented. “He wouldn’t have the boner he has if he couldn’t.”
Roger raised an eyebrow, amusement lurking briefly in his eyes. “I find the things you ladies notice very interesting indeed.”
The woman and her star-struck companion were now moving toward the stairs leading up to the main exit. “We need to get over there, and fast.”
“Then follow me.”
Roger spun and strode around the top tier, moving quickly and easily through the mass of people. As we followed in his wake, my gaze went to the stairs and the two people unhurriedly climbing them. Halfway up she paused briefly and looked over her shoulder.